Moment of Weakness (Embracing Moments Book 1) (10 page)

“Who was that?” Roman asked, sliding in next to me.

“Oh, the redhead? That’s my friend, Lacey.” For reasons I couldn’t explain, a tinge of jealousy shot through me. He was asking about Lacey. It’s not like he was the first guy to ask me about her, and he wouldn’t be the last. Who could blame him, she was beautiful. Hell, I’d probably want to date her too if I had any interest in women.

“No. The guy. Do you know him?”

The guy?

“You mean Shane?” I asked, lifting an eyebrow. “He’s Lacey’s cousin. That’s the first time I met him. Why?” My eyes fell to Roman’s fingers which were moving back and forth against his phone screen.

“We need to run a background check on him.”

I let out a short disbelieving laugh. “Is that necessary? He’s Lacey’s cousin, for crying out loud. I’ve been friends with Lacey since elementary school.”

Roman’s brows furrowed together; his face had “serious” written all over it. “It’s protocol, Miss Parker. I don’t make the rules, I just follow them.” Rules? I was getting so damn tired of these
rules.
He slipped his phone back into his pocket and directed his attention out the window.

Silence filled the car as Theo pulled out of the parking lot. Thoughts of Roman’s fingers moving in circles against my arms had my mind racing. He jumped back so quickly when Lacey spoke, it was as if he was caught doing something he shouldn’t have been. Did he even realize what it was he was doing? Or how it affected me? As much as I’d like to think it was innocent, the feeling that coursed through me told me otherwise. His touch was gentle, intimate, and the thought alone caused a small flood of heat to pool between my legs. It had been so long since my body felt alive. It was no surprise it was demanding attention. I closed my eyes, trying to focus on something else, because thinking about Roman, especially in
that
way was wrong for so many reasons.

THE NEXT HOUR
spent in the car was quiet. Roman didn’t say much, at least not verbally. Like usual, most of his attention was on his phone. He had it in his hands, tapping away at the screen, most likely emailing, or texting someone, probably his girlfriend because guys that look like him are never single.

Having my own car had never really crossed my mind, but when the car came to a stop, anxiousness bubbled up inside me. We were here. I wasn’t even sure where
here
was. Not bothering to wait for Roman to open the door, I flung mine open and stepped out. Hundreds of cars lined the parking lot. Clutching my purse to my side, I followed behind Theo. A large building sat to the left, three sides of it covered in nothing but glass, allowing for a perfect view of the showroom. As I approached the entrance doors, I noticed the large trident symbol and the word MASERATI in bold letters underneath it. An older gentlemen greeted us at the front doors.

“Welcome, Miss Parker. We have been expecting you.” I reached out to shake his hand. “If you’d follow me please.”

“Yes, of course,” I replied, walking behind him. My eyes scanned the showroom as we walked through the lobby. A few glass tables with modern-style leather couches were off to the right. Half a dozen cars sat off to the left. In the center of the lobby was a large spiral staircase with glass railings that led to the second floor. The older gentlemen led us to the far back corner into a spacious office.

Just like the lobby, the furniture was all modern and coordinated perfectly. White leather chairs and a large glass table sat to one side of the room. Along the walls were several glass showcases, each housing different custom interior options: steering wheels, rims, different color blocks, and handkerchiefs. Looking around at all the options had me feeling light-headed. The anxious feeling I had was no longer fueled by excitement, but now from being overwhelmed. My eyes trailed over all the options. I didn’t need this. I just wanted a car. Theo must have sensed my uneasiness because he stepped outside with the older gentlemen for a few minutes. Dropping my shoulders, I walked over to one of the leather chairs and sat down.

“You okay?” Roman asked.

I glanced over at him. He stood by the door, his hands in his pockets again. My gaze trailed him as he walked toward me. He sat down in the seat beside me.

“You know . . . that’s the third time you asked me that today. I’m starting to think you may believe me to be some kind of mental case.”

He smirked. “I can’t say the thought hasn’t crossed my mind a time or two.” My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open. A heavy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. “Relax, I’m just kidding.” I closed my mouth and looked back at the door. Theo was taking a long time.

“Most people would be thrilled to be sitting in here. But you’re sitting in here on the edge of hyperventilating. Why?”

I stood up and walked to the center of the room. “I don’t need all this.” I waved my hands around in the air, motioning toward the different showcases. “Despite what you may think, I couldn’t care less about who’s driving around in the more expensive car or whether I should buy a Louis or Prada.”

Roman’s jaw hardened as he leaned back in his chair. “I’m not going to pretend I know what the hell a Louis or Prada is, but it amazes me how you constantly assume you know what I’m thinking.” His harsh tone caused me to flinch. “When have I
ever
given you the impression that I—”

The next moment, the door opened, and Roman immediately stopped talking. Theo and the older gentlemen stepped back into the room, and my gaze shifted to them. “Miss Parker, your driver, Theo, has informed me of what you had in mind. If you would please follow me, we will look at some options.” Standing, I glanced over at Roman, who was scowling, and then walked out the door.

With all the paperwork signed and the keys in my hand, I was the official owner of a brand new GT convertible. The creamy leather interior was a beautiful contrast to the dark red of the paint, and it even had a back seat, which made me grin. Convertible, classy, and roomy. Theo nailed it. Thanking him for bringing me out, I kissed him on the cheek. He reciprocated with a hug and told me he’d see me at home later. Walking around, I snapped a few pictures of my new car and sent them to my father.

Roman stood off to the side, giving me plenty of space for my mini photography session. A slight pang of guilt hit my chest as I looked over at him.

“All done,” I said, placing my phone in my purse. He nodded and walked over to the passenger side door. Opening the car door, I slid into the driver’s seat. The top was already down, and the soft warmness of the leather seats felt good against my tense muscles. The new leather smell invaded my nose as I adjusted my seat and mirrors. Roman was sitting in the passenger seat, looking a little too tall for the car, but I just couldn’t get over how good he looked sitting beside me. God, it was wrong to think that—to look at him and wonder what it would feel like to have his lips move against mine and his fingers caress every part of me. His slight touch this morning had left me wanting more.

No, Julia. Just, no.

Gripping the steering wheel, I pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the expressway. “I’m sorry,” I blurted out, keeping my eyes focused on the road. “You’re right. I need to stop thinking you always assume the worst of me, but we didn’t exactly start off on the right foot.”

“And I tried apologizing for that!” His tone was deep, angry. And he had every right to be. “I know I was a dick, but . . .” He shook his head in an exhausted manner. “You know what, just forget it.”

Roman didn’t bother looking at me, and the only thing to break the uncomfortable silence passing between us was the ringing of his phone.

“Hayes,” he said, answering it. “Everything will work out. I just need more time.” He paused and looked over at me. His eyebrows pinched together and his shoulder muscles tensed. And just when I thought his voice couldn’t get any deeper, it had. “No. That’s not an issue. Tell him it will be completed in the allotted time.” He pulled the phone away from his ear and ended the call.

“Family, they drive you crazy, don’t they?” I said with a nervous laugh. I was almost positive he wasn’t talking to family, but I figured I needed to say or do something. His grip was so tight on the phone I was sure the glass screen was going to shatter.

He cocked his head toward me, and I no longer found myself staring into the same warm green eyes I had after yoga practice. His eyes were dark, almost black, and coldness poured from them like freezing rain. “What did you say?”

What the hell was I doing? I seriously had a freaking death wish.

“I’m assuming it was family you were talking to, or a friend. It’s always friends or family who know what to say to push our buttons, right?” I said, offering a half-smile, trying to lighten the situation.

Dropping his phone to his lap, he ran his hand down his face. “No, I have no family. And I interact with people as much as I talk to them, which means I don’t, unless I have to.”

No family? I knew what kind of impact losing my mother had on me, but I couldn’t imagine losing my father or Theo. Death was inevitable, but to be twenty-five and have nobody? My heart ached for him. However, I wasn’t buying the second half of what he said. Not after how he interacted with me this morning.

“But you speak to me and you don’t have to?”

He blew out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know why.”

Wow. Hurt rose up inside me, and for the first time in a while, I felt stupid, stupid for even allowing his words to bother me. I sucked in a small breath and focused on driving.

Roman shifted in his seat. “For some reason, it’s easy with you.” His voice cracked. “Talking is easy with you, and I keep asking myself why,” he muttered, running his palms down the length of his thighs.

I didn’t even know how to respond to that, so I didn’t.

The next two weeks came and went in a flash. I had no desire to go anywhere. Lacey was working on a huge lawsuit with her father, so there wasn’t much of an opportunity to spend time with her outside of yoga. The only time I left the property was to go running and to yoga, which was three times a week. Those were also the only times I had seen Roman. I guess talking to me wasn’t as easy as he thought, because he made no effort to do so since the ride home from buying my car.

When we were at home, Roman spent the majority of his time in the guesthouse. The only time he would ever leave was when he needed to meet with my father and Theo. One afternoon I was sitting out by the pool, lounging out on the chaise with my e-reader, when I had this nagging feeling I was being watched, so naturally I looked around. I saw no one, but my gaze drifted up to the second floor window of the guesthouse and there he was, staring at me. He didn’t look away, so neither did I. Our eyes held that position until he backed away from the window. Later that evening, I watched as he drove off in his Audi. I’m assuming he went home because he didn’t return until the next morning.

I lay on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. If you looked up the word pathetic in the dictionary, I’m positive, you’d find my picture there. It was six o’clock on a Saturday night. It was beautiful out, and here I was, sitting inside doing nothing. I rolled off the bed and walked the short distance to my father’s office. Despite the door being closed, I knew he was in there. It was like his home within his home. I knocked, which was pointless, because I already had the door opened before my father responded.

He sat behind his large mahogany desk, piles of papers stacked around him, his Mac positioned in front of him. Light gray hairs dusted his brown hair, and I couldn’t help but notice a few extra wrinkles had formed near the creases of his brown eyes. I wasn’t sure if it had to do with being tired or if it was just life taking its toll on him.

“Hey, Daddy,” I said, walking over and sitting down in the dark brown leather chair in front of his desk.

My father closed his laptop. “Hey, sweetie. Everything okay?”

“
Yeah, I’m fine. I was wondering if you had Roman’s cell phone number.”

He jerked his head back. “Um . . . yeah. My battery is dead on my phone, but I think it’s in his file.” He got up and walked over to the tall black metal filing cabinet that sat in the corner of the room. The room itself was large. Endless shelves of books covered the wood-paneled walls. A brown leather couch sat on the opposite wall next to the closet door.